Engine starting apparatus



Feb. 20, 1951 P. 1.. SCHNEIDER ET AL 2,542,712

ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS 2 SheecsSheet 1 Filed Oct. 28, 1948 INVENTORS AUL L. SCHNEIDER DEHOTHER H. DUDDEHAH THEIR .ATTOBNBYJ Feb. 20,1951 Y P. L. SCHNEIDER ETAL 2,542,712

ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS v Filed Oct. 28, 1948 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PAUL L. SCHNf/DEB DfBOTHEfi H- DUDDEBAH THE [B ATTOHNEKS flywheel gear 54.

Patented Feb. 20, 1951 ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Paul L. Schneider and Derother H. Dudderar, Anderson, Ind., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 28, 1948, Serial No. 57,055

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to engine starters and its object is to provide for slow initial movement of the starter pinion to facilitate meshing with the engine flywheel gear and to provide for withholding full cranking current from the starting motor until after the motor pinion has been fully meshed with the engine flywheel gear.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is aside view partly in longitudinal section of the starting motor provided with the solenoid for axially moving the starter pinion and for controlling electric circuits.

Fig. 2A is a fragmentary view in the direction of arrow 2A of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2B is a view of part 4| shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a left end view of a contact bracket I of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are sect onal views, respectively, on lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a view of the contact bracket I00 in the direction of arrow 6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a wiring diagram.

Referring to Fig. l, the starting motor H! has a field frame H supporting a frame [2 at its left end and attached at its right end to a housing l3 which is adapted to be attached to the flywheel gear housing which contains the engine Motor armature shaft 15 is supported by bearings in frame [2 and housing l3 and is splinedly connected with a sleeve I6 connected through a one-way clutch I! with a pinion is loosely journaled on the shaft I5 and slidable thereon into mesh with the engine flywheel gear H! as indicated at l8.

Sleeve l6 provides collars 2G and 2| providing a groove for receiving rollers 22 provided by the arms of a bifurcated lever 23 pivotally supported by a screw 24 attached to frame [3 and retained by a nut 24a and lock washer 25. Screw 24 is surrounded by a spring 25, one end 26a of which bears against frame II and the other end 251) of which is received by a hole in the lever 23. Spring 26 normally holds the assembly of sleeve 16, clutch l1 and pinion I8 in the position shown in Fig. 1, the sleeve l6 engaging a shoulder 21 of shaft l5.

Lever 23 carries a pin 36) received by a slot 3| in a link 32. Link 32 has a head 33 which is retained in a pocket 34 of a solenoid armature 35 by a ring or washer 36 retained by staking the flange 3'! provided by the armature 35. Pin is normally maintained at the left end of slot 3| by a spring 38 the left end of which bears against a washer 39 which bears against the lever 23. The right end of spring 38 bears against washers 39' and 40, the latter retaining a C-washer 4| which is received by the notches 42 of the link 32 as shown in Fig. 2B.

Armature is supported for axial movement by a non-magnetizable tube 5| provided by the solenoid. assembly 50 which comprises magnetizable shell members 52, 53, discs, 54, 55, a core 55 and discs 51, 58. Tube 5| is supported by core 56 and by flange 59 of disc 58 and is surrounded by a magnet coil 60. Flange 59 supports a metal ring 6! which retains a felt ring 62 engaging the armature 35.

The armature 35 is connected with a rod 10 which supports a ferrule H between the flanges of which there are located three insulating discs l2, 13, M which insulatingly support the contacts 15. Rod it provides a groove 16 which receives a C-washer ll retained by a spring 18 which forces a washer 19 against the right end of ferrule H and pushes the left end of said ferrule against a snap ring 89 received by a groove at the left end of rod 10.

To the disc 54 there is attached a plate 8| providing ears 82 for supporting a pin 83 which provides a pivot for a lever 84 made of non-conducting material. As shown in Fig. 8, lever 84 supports a contact 85 retained thereon by a stud 86 riveted to the contact and passing loosely through a hole 81 in the lever and surrounded by a resilient metal disc 88 which urges the contact upwardly until the shoulder 89 provided by the head of the rivet engages the underside of lever 84. Contact is engageable with contacts 90 and 9| (Fig. 6).

Contact 90 is provided by a bracket 92 attached to a bracket I55 by a terminal screw 94 and insulated therefrom by non-conducting plate 93. A

projection 98 on bracket 92 extends into a hole in non-conducting plate 93 to prevent bracket 92 from turning about terminal screw 94. Contact 9| is provided by bracket 95 confined between the plate 93 and a contact 9! provided by a terminal screw 99 supported by a bracket I03 and insulated therefrom as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows another terminal screw IOI insulatingly supported by the bracket I and providing a contact I02. Bracket I00 insulatingly supports a terminal screw I04.

Referring to Fig. 9, a resistance H0 is con nected with terminal screws 94 and I 0| which is connected with a starting motor I20. Terminal 99 is connected by a wire III with battery II2. A manually controlled switch II3 connects wires III with terminal screw I04 to which the non-grounded end of coil 60 is connected.

Normally the spring 26 locates the lever 23 and hence the armature 35 and the contacts I5 in the position shown in Fig. 1. Disc I4 by engaging lever 84 holds it into the position shown against the action of a spring 84:? thereby maintaining contact 05 out of engagement with contacts 90 and 9|.

To start the engine, the switch H3 is closed thereby connecting coil 66 with the battery and thereby attracting armature 35 toward the core 56. Initially, armature 35 moves to allow spring 84s to move contact 85 into engagement with contacts 90 and 9| (Fig. 9) so that current passes to motor I20 through resistance H0, having a value such that the motor develops torque sufliicient to rotate the pinion I8 while out of conturning slowly with the object of arriving at a meshing position by the time it engages the gear I4. If there is an abutment of gear teeth, motion of the armature 35 is arrested and switch H3 is opened to disconnect the coil 60 and to allow the spring 26 to return the lever 23 and pinion I8 to normal position. The switch H3 is closed again to obtain a slow rotation of the pinion I8 and a different angular position thereof by the time it engages the gear the second time. If the pinion is not in meshing position following the first closing of switch II3, it usually is in meshing position following the second closing of the switch.

Following the positioning of pinion I8 for meshing with the gear I4, the armature 35 continues its movement to cause contact I5 to engage contacts 9! and I02, thereby shorting the resistance H0 and causing cranking current to pass to the motor I20. Armature 35 still continues to move until it abuts core 56, causing washer I! to compress spring I8, since washer I9, I l and contact disc 15 are no longer free to move. When armature 35 abuts core 56, pinion I8 has moved into its fully meshed position with the ring gear I4. The motor cranks the engine and when the engine becomes self-operative, the pinion I8 overruns the sleeve I6 by virtue of the overrunning clutch II. When the engine has been started, the switch H3 is open, the solenoid is cleanergized and the spring 26 restores the parts to normal position as shown in Fig. 1.

If the engine should fail to start after the pinion has been fully meshed with the engine gear, the switch H3 is opened to deenergize the solenoid coil 60 whereupon spring 38 will expand to move the link 32 toward the right until the left end of slot 3| engages pin 30, This movement is sufficient to separate contact I5 from contacts 9! and I02 leaving the battery connected with the motor through the resistance III! which is high enough in value to prevent overheating of the motor and wiring connecting it with the battery; and, furthermore, the torque, which the motor develops under those conditions, is so low that the spring 26 can retract the pinion from the engine gear and return the armature to normal position and separate contact I5 from contacts and SI.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Engine starting apparatus comprising a battery, a motor, a pinion movable into mesh with an engine gear, a one-way clutch connecting the motor with the pinion, a solenoid having an armature and a magnet coil, a solenoid controlled switch having a terminal connected with the battery, a terminal connected with the motor and a contact carried by said armature for connecting the terminals, a resistance having one end connected with one of said terminals, a second solenoid controlled switch for connecting the other end of said resistance with the other of said terminals, means operable by the armature to move the pinion into engagement with the engine gear, means for demeshing the pinion and returning the armature to normal position after the engine is started, means operable when the solenoid is energized for effecting closing of the second switch before engagement of the pinion with the gear and for closing the first switch after engagement of the pinion with said gear, said last named means being so constructed that the second switch is closed as long as the solenoid is energized and the resistance is short circuited when the first switch is closed, and a manually controlled switch for connecting the battery with the coil.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the means which transmits motion from the armature to the pinion includes a spring which is stressed during movement of the armature between a position effecting substantially complete meshing of the pinion and a position effecting closure of the first solenoid controlled switch whereby, in case the engine fails to startand the pinion demeshing spring is unable to function due to the force applied by the motor to the pinion, the opening of the manually controlled switch results in deenergization of the solenoid, in release of the motion transmitting spring to open the first solenoid controlled switch, in such reduction of force applied to the pinion that the pinion demeshing spring is effective, and in return of the armature to normal position to eiiect opening of the second solenoid controlled switch.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the second solenoid controlled switch has a mov able contact supported by a lever urged by a spring into switch closing position and which an abutment moves with the armature to engage the lever to open the switch when the armature REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 15 file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Conrad Nov. 13, 1917 Wilson Nov. 13, 1917 Zimmerman Jan. 7, 1919 Bijur June 17, 1919 Bijur June 8, 1920 Kratz et a1 Feb. 15, 1921 Kratz May 2, 1922 Bliss Jan. 16, 1923 Schwarz July 15, 1924 Louette Jan. 9, 1934 Nardone Nov. 10, 1942 

